Venkataraman and his wife Van Lakshmi were asleep as the toxic gas slowly filled their one-room house in RR Venkatapuram early on Thursday.
And even after they woke, the couple decided the smell was a disinfectant that was sprayed to control coronavirus.
But an hour later, they and their two young children were gasping for air as neighbours called about a gas leak at a chemical plant near their home in Visakhapatnam, in India’s Andhra Pradesh state.
"We saw people running helter-skelter in the village and screaming 'Run, run, run'," Mr Venkataraman, 42, told The National.
Within minutes of fleeing their house, the family collapsed from exposure to toxic styrene gas, which had by then completely enveloped their small village of 500 households.
Mr Venkataraman, a tuk-tuk driver, regained consciousness, only to find his 35-year-old wife motionless as his children whimpered near by.
“I found my wife lying near a drain," he said. "I tried to wake her up but she had gone. She was already dead.
“There was no alarm from the factory, no siren. If we had known it was a gas leak, we would have never ignored that smell."
The ambulances and emergency workers arrived hours later as panic and chaos gripped the village.
The gas spread up to 3 kilometres, said India’s disaster management agency, which confirmed that more than 80 people were on ventilators in hospitals.
Indian authorities said at least 11 people, including two children were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in the incident.
It happened after two 5,000-tonne tanks at the plastics factory leaked early on Thursday morning.
Styrene gas is used in making plastic and was stored in the chemical plant owned by a South Korean battery maker, LG Polymer.
The factory had been shut since Indian authorities announced the coronavirus lockdown in mid-March.
The leak is believed to have taken place when the plant’s employees were preparing to resume operations as the country slowly reopens it industries.
Nearby residents said they woke up to burning eyes, skin irritation and difficulty breathing soon after the leak started about 2.30 am.
What followed was a night of mayhem and chaos.
Gopal Venkatraman, who runs a catering agency, said he was alerted by a factory employee about 4.30am and fled the village in his car with his wife and three children.
By then, Mr Venkatraman said, the entire village was shrouded in a thick haze of gas and the air was filled with a pungent smell as men ran looking for ways to escape the village and women cried with burning eyes.
“Many had fallen unconscious on the streets while fleeing the village for safety," he said. "There was complete chaos, only cries and screams,” Mr Venkatraman said.
“I saw four men struggling to breathe. One by one, they all collapsed. Blood was coming out of their noses and ears.
"It was a scary sight. My children were crying out of fear. We all were scared for our lives."
Shrisha, who has a three-day-old baby, feels lucky to have escaped in time after her neighbours came knocking to warn of the gas leak.
“There was a strong smell and my eyes were watery and burning,” Ms Shrisha said.
“I covered my child with a scarf and neighbours gave us lift in their car to leave the village. I couldn’t think of my parents or brothers. It was a terrifying sight.”
India has a poor record for workplace safety and deadly incidents are common across the country, where the lax implementation of laws is considered a major cause of these disasters.
The latest incident brought back memories of the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, when more than 5,000 people died in the world’s biggest disaster after methyl isocyanate, a highly toxic gas, leaked at the pesticide plant of Union Carbide India.
Activists say more than 25,000 died and thousands of people are still suffering from the effects of the leak.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the affected families and said the government would ensure the victims were helped.
“Spoke to officials of MHA and NDMA regarding the situation in Visakhapatnam, which is being monitored closely," Mr Modi tweeted.
"I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being in Visakhapatnam."
Thursday’s leak comes after two industrial mishaps in India left more than a dozen workers injured.
Seven workers were taken to hospital in Raipur city in central India on Thursday after being exposed to a poisonous gas, possibly methane, while cleaning a paper mill, officials said.
Another eight workers were burnt in a boiler blast at a government-run thermal power station in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state on Thursday, reportedly because the boiler overheated.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
CREW
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Kibsons%20Cares
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THREE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Company%20profile
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EResults%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EHong%20Kong%2052-5%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESouth%20Korea%2055-5%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EMalaysia%206-70%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3EUAE%2036-32%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2021%2C%207.30pm%20kick-off%3A%20UAE%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EAt%20The%20Sevens%2C%20Dubai%20(admission%20is%20free).%3Cbr%3ESaturday%3A%20Hong%20Kong%20v%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More on animal trafficking
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
